Sex Happens Read online

  “This novel is new and edgy!” Allison Volk

  “I loved it. It was intriguing, and I’m waiting for her next book.” Sue Podany

  “I stayed up all night reading it.” Michele Viera

  “I could relate!” Stacey Padres

  “I couldn’t put it down.” Bo Urbansky

  “You’ll make time to read this!” Eileen Davidson

  “This novel proves life doesn’t end with divorce.” Suzie Schudder, MD

  “This novel is for women looking to discover themselves.” Ann Bennett

  Carol Soloway’s first novel is like a comet entering the fiction scene! Sex Happens had me captivated from the first page as I entered her world of love, broken promises, sex, lies, deceit, divorce, heartbreak, friendship, and so much more. It is absorbing, insightful, thought-provoking, and a gratifying page-turner.

  —Sandra Biskind, International #1 best-selling author of the CODEBREAKER PLATINUM Series

  Sex Happens is a page-turner that makes you feel every emotion of the heart-wrenching experience that is divorce. Many women who have had to heal their hearts from infidelity will feel the connection and learn lessons from the emotional roller coaster ride of the divorce process. It’s life-transforming and real!

  —Renée Piane, Author of Get Real about Love

  —The Secrets to Opening Your Heart & Finding True Love

  So you are happily married? Enjoy every moment of your bubble of safety and comfort—it can be destroyed in one conversation. You will be thrown into a whole new world that will challenge everything you’ve trusted to be real. Will you be able to cope? Dr. Carol Soloway’s riveting novel will give you one woman’s answer. You will not be able to stop reading this lusty, exciting, heart-stirring novel until you’ve read to the very last page.

  —Tessa Kershnar, MFCC

  I rarely read fiction, as I am a nonfiction type of gal. But I was surprised that when I started reading Carol Soloway’s novel, Sex Happens, I couldn’t put it down. I now understand what it means when someone says that a novel is a page-turner! What intrigued me most about Carol’s book is how real and authentic it is. Surprises kept showing up throughout the book. It’s a book that is relatable and written in an engaging manner that kept my interest all the way to the last page. Bravo for writing such an exceptional book, Dr. Carol!

  —Ruth Klein, Featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. Author of 6 best-selling books. Woman of Achievement Award—National Association of Professional Women

  I had the opportunity to read Sex Happens this weekend. Woke up at 7 a.m., made my coffee, and settled back with the first 100 pages. I’m so impressed with her writing style. She captured my attention and never let it go! Other than walking downstairs for more coffee, I never put it down. I’m a fan! If you like Danielle Steel, Harold Robbins, or Sidney Sheldon, you’ll love Carol Soloway. Destined to be a best-seller!

  —Diana Sabatino, Managing Director of eWomenNetwork, Orange County

  Many novels tell us an interesting story. Others take us on a roller coaster ride with twists and turns. But some also make us look deep within ourselves and give us insight. Sex Happens does it all!

  —Sandy Ponsot

  Sex Happens is a must-read, a page-turner, an edge-of-the-seat gripper. I enjoyed everything, especially the “juicy” parts.

  —Bonnie Graham, Read-My-Lips Blog Radio

  Copyright © 2016 Carol Soloway

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be translated, used, or reproduced in any form or by any means, in whole or in part, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system without express written permission from the author or the publisher, except for the use in brief quotations within critical articles and reviews.

  www.sexhappensanovel.com

  Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:

  The authors and/or publisher shall not be liable for your misuse of this material. The contents are strictly for entertainment and informational purposes.

  The author and/or publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to anyone with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

  Further, readers should be aware that Internet websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

  Printed and bound in the United States of America

  ISBN: 978-0-692-78540-9

  Dedicated to Wayne, my husband, my rock, my everything.

  CHAPTER 1

  Sex happens in hotel rooms, Alexandra Rose thought as she slid her new lipstick-red negligee out of the Victoria’s Secret bag and folded it into her suitcase. Stroking the silky nightgown made her long for those lost moments in her marriage that seemed to have slipped away. She craved their urgent taking of each other just as much as she hungered for their intimate explorations, when they’d touch each other with a familiarity that was like putting lotion on one’s own body. Most of all, she missed their gentle sex in the middle of the night—his leg brushing against hers, she’d turn to him, and he’d caress her with a touch as gentle as a kiss.

  Just as she closed her suitcase, Jon, her four-year-old son, ran into the room. “Mommy, don’t leave me.” He looked up at her with tears in his warm brown eyes.

  Alex bent down and hugged her son, already missing him.

  “Why do you have to go?” Jon threw his arms around her legs.

  She tousled his curly brown hair. “You know your daddy’s been at a medical conference all week, and I’m flying out to meet him so he doesn’t have to drive home alone.”

  “Daddy’s big, and he doesn’t need you.” Jon ran out of the bedroom.

  Although she hated to leave the children, she was excited about joining her husband, Gabe, in Las Vegas and celebrating their twentieth anniversary. She opened the night table drawer, took out the Tiffany box, and slipped it into her purse, certain the sterling silver money clip was the perfect anniversary gift for him. It had been so long since they’d spent time together, just the two of them. The weekend would be wonderful, magical. It had to be.

  Alex walked to the bureau and picked up her wedding picture. The way her husband looked at her with a love so real it was palpable made her chest tighten. She held the picture in her hand and traced his handsome face, longing for the return of that look, that warmth, that love.

  Jon returned with his backpack. “I’m going with you.”

  She swooped him up in her arms and kissed him. Then she opened the top drawer of the bureau, the drawer where she kept the little gifts for the boys. Although she didn’t believe in spoiling them, occasional rewards for being especially good or doing well in school were, in her opinion, well-placed bribes. The older boys were thrilled with gift cards, and Jon delighted in the little cars.

  “Jon, close your eyes.”

  “Eyes closing.” He shut his eyes so tightly his entire face scrunched up.

  She placed a little red Hot Wheels car in his hands and told him he could open his eyes.

  Looking down, he saw the little car and threw his arms around her. “Yippee! You’re the best mom in the world, but I’m still going with you.”

  “Cookie Face, do you know how much I love you?” She cupped his face in her hands, lifted his chin, and kissed his nose. He and his two brothers were her world. Her life had been completed the moment her first son had been placed in her arms. And the birth of each son brought not only life but joy and love to the family. Yes, she could almost smell the freshly bathed newborn—the most delicious s
cent in the world.

  Baseball cap on backwards, Daniel, her middle son, walked into the bedroom, holding a paper with an A+ at the top. “As I’d hoped,” he said.

  “What’d you write about?” she asked.

  “Honey and how much the whole family loves her even though she’s dead.” He handed her the report.

  As she started to read, her eyes teared. Honey was the family’s beloved golden retriever, but she was Alex’s solace, her warmth. Just thinking about Honey made her heart ache. The boys wanted another dog, but she wasn’t ready. Honey wasn’t replaceable. She was as dear to Alex as her boys. “Danny, you really were Honey’s favorite. You were the one who always walked her and fed her.”

  “Mom, she loved you the most.” Daniel smiled at her.

  “Didn’t she love me the bestest?” Jon asked and then looked to his brother. “Danny, we don’t want our Mommy to leave us like our Honey. Right?”

  Daniel patted his little brother’s head. “Jon, you can sleep in our room, and we’ll make a tent. We’ll camp out.”

  Alex smiled at Daniel. He always tried to help his little brother. Daniel had Alex’s sparkly brown eyes and brown hair. His was straight, while hers was curly. He was intrepid and drew people to him effortlessly, while she was just as warm but more cautious, reserved.

  “No way,” Eric, the oldest, called from in the hallway. “Jon is not sleeping in our room. And when am I getting my own room?”

  “Eric, you’ll have your own room soon. Your dad and I promised you.”

  “Mommy, what if you don’t come back like our Honey?” Jon grabbed her legs. “Then I won’t have a mommy.”

  “I’ll always be your mommy,” she promised.

  Ever since Honey had run out in front of a car and been killed, Jon had become fearful whenever Alex left him with a babysitter. She knew how sad he and his brothers were about Honey, and she tried to help them cope with the loss by having each one write a farewell note to send to heaven.

  Eric had protested. At thirteen, he was becoming defiant. But finally, he’d written, “Honey, I’ll miss you.”

  Daniel, sensitive beyond his eleven years, had written, “I hope you’re as happy in heaven as you were living with our family. I’ll always love my sister, Honey.”

  Jon, who couldn’t write, had refused to tell Alex what he wanted to say. He’d insisted Honey wasn’t in heaven because she kept coming into his bedroom at night, and she’d even licked his face. Alex had told Jon he’d been having dreams about Honey. He’d shaken his head and covered his ears. She’d explained when you really want something so much that your heart hurts, then when you go to sleep, your mind sometimes gives it to you for a little while.

  Eric put his hands on his hips. “Mom, you didn’t wash my uniform. Again.”

  “Calm down,” she said. “Your uniform and stuff are all laid out in the laundry room as usual.”

  Although she was dedicated to running her chiropractic practice and treating her patients, the boys came first. She’d managed to go to almost every game, attend every parent–teacher conference, and be there for them whenever they needed her. Of course, that meant more time away from her practice, but as hard as she tried, she knew she couldn’t do everything.

  As the doorbell rang, Eric looked at Alex. “And I don’t want Mrs. Davis, that weirdo babysitter lady, coming to my game.”

  “I expect you to be polite to her,” Alex said and rushed downstairs to open the door for Mrs. Davis.

  After kissing the boys good-bye and promising she and their dad would be home early Sunday, Alex took a cab to the airport.

  Excited about the weekend, she thought about how much she still adored Gabe. From the moment they’d met twenty-five years ago, she’d been in love with him. She recalled the night she met him. She was a freshmen in college, and her friend Jeremy’s date had cancelled on him right before his fraternity dance. He’d begged Alex to go with him. She’d reluctantly agreed.

  As Alex and Jeremy had approached the dance floor for their first dance, Jeremy had tripped and fallen, pulling her down with him. Her high heel had gotten caught on her dress. She fell onto the dance floor, cutting her shin and twisting her ankle. When she looked up, she saw Gabriel Rose kneeling down in front of her, one knee bent as though he were proposing.

  “You’ll be fine,” Gabe had promised and patted her knee with his starched white handkerchief.

  There was something about him, something intriguing, something that’d made her believe everything would be fine. Yes, it was his aquamarine eyes that had attracted her, his brilliance that had intrigued her, but it was his warmth that had made her fall in love. She’d become his wife, and the family they’d created would unite them forever—of that she’d been certain—until recently.

  Lately, Gabe had been distracted, distant, almost annoyed every time she tried to talk to him or touch him. That was why they needed this weekend to return them to that couple in the wedding picture on their bureau.

  CHAPTER 2

  After the short flight, Alex eagerly proceeded to the line for a taxi. As the cabdriver weaved in and out of traffic on the crowded Las Vegas Strip towards the Bellagio Hotel, Alex delighted in the glitzy glamour: the neon silhouettes of the dancing girls and the promise of sensual delights flashing before her.

  She walked through the Bellagio lobby with its incredible ceiling decorated with blown glass in yellow, blue, purple. When she went to the reception desk, the clerk requested her driver’s license before giving her the key to Dr. Gabriel Rose’s room.

  As soon as she opened the door and saw their lush room with the king-size bed and sumptuous white comforter, she was certain they’d make love here tonight. She thought about how long it had been since they’d had sex. First, they’d been too busy with the children and work during the day, and they’d fall asleep the minute they got into bed. Weekends were filled with the boys’ sporting events and their social obligations. Then, there was an awkwardness about initiating sex, and before they knew it, weeks had passed, then months.

  She put her suitcase on the bed and saw the note on the bureau:

  Reservations at 7:00 pm at Le Cirque.

  It was just like Gabe to have arranged dinner at the finest restaurant in the Bellagio. He always took care of everything—meticulously. She appreciated his attention to details. It always made her feel cared for, loved.

  She read the description of Le Cirque in the hotel brochure, promising, “an evening that would remain in your memory for years to come.” Yes, she was living her dream, and tonight, she was going to make him fall in love with her all over again.

  After a luxurious bath, she brushed her wavy brown hair back off of her shoulders. Then she stepped into her short black dress and zipped it up. She decided she needed to wear Spanx. While her legs were still shapely and her tummy flat, there were tiny bulges at her sides. Since her practice had gotten busier, she and her partner often worked through lunch. After work, she’d rush home to the boys, leaving no time for workouts or tennis.

  Although Alex and Gabe were members of the tennis club, Gabe told her he’d lost interest in tennis; therefore, he stopped going to the club. Tennis was where she excelled. When she and Gabe would play together, they’d move in perfect harmony, her natural athleticism complimenting his years of lessons and practiced perfection. She decided she would try to convince him to return to the tennis club. They needed to spend more time together, play together again.

  Distractedly, she opened the top drawer of the vanity. The familiar scent of Gabe’s cologne surprised her. He never wore cologne when he went to work or business meetings, insisting it wasn’t professional. He only used it when they went out and was careful to spray it ever so lightly. The cap was off. It just wasn’t like him. He must have brought it for tonight, she decided.

  She glanced at the clock. Late, she stepped into her stilettos, r
ushed out the door, and started toward the elevator. Then she ran back to the room to get her earrings. Gabe had given them to her for their tenth anniversary. She wondered what he’d bought her for this anniversary.

  Heart pounding with excitement, she took the elevator to the restaurant. The dramatic décor mixing vibrant oranges with golds affirmed Gabe’s taste for elegance and opulence, a trait she didn’t share but appreciated.

  As soon as she walked up to the reservation desk, she saw her husband, perfectly tailored in his blue Armani suit, Reagan-red tie, and pristine white shirt. Time had caressed his face with gentle lines, but Gabriel Rose, handsome as the day they’d met, still took her breath away.

  Gabe stood up as she approached.

  It was so right to have come, she thought.

  He walked over and pulled her chair out for her.

  She smiled. He was the consummate gentleman—always and forever—of that she was certain. She moved to kiss his lips.

  He turned his head and kissed her cheek.

  She thought maybe he was just being proper since they were in the restaurant and there might be other physicians nearby. No, she was his wife. There was no reason for him to have turned his head. Surprised, she didn’t smell even a trace of his cologne. Then she caught herself. She wasn’t going to spoil the weekend.

  “How was your speech?” she asked, certain it was perfect.

  “Went well.”

  “I’m sure you impressed them.” She was so proud of him. She knew how dedicated he was to his patients and how hard he’d been working on his invention, which, he was convinced, would revolutionize cardiac care.

  “I had to be very cautious …”

  “But you’re patented,” she said.

  “I can’t take a chance. Someone could steal it and make a small tweak.”

  “No one would do that,” she said with her usual optimism.

  He shook his head. “You really don’t know what people are capable of when they want something.”